The High School Years
by John Hawkman
Summary: AU, Watchmen characters as teenagers in high school. Dan, Walter, Laurie, Jonny, and Adrian are the members of the Crimebusters club at Alan Gibbons High School. Each of them has their own idea of how justice should be accomplished
1. Chapter 1

Manhattanville: Watchmen the Early Years

Chapter One

*****

In a cave beneath Alan Gibbons High School, the Junior class was chained to their school desks, as the evil Dr. Jacobi stood in front of the blackboard. He reached out his hand, as claws came out of his fingertips.

"Surrender, kids," he growled, grinning evilly

"No, not the board!" came cries from the desks

Dr. Jacobi scratched his hands against the board, creating a loud screeching sound. The students clasped their hands against their ears.

"Surrender, Dr. Jacobi!" I warned

Dr. Jacobi stopped scratching his claws against the board, and saw me standing in the doorway, wearing my crime-fighting costume.

"You'd better…"

Suddenly, everyone turned to me, and started laughing. Dr. Jacobi and my friends were laughing at me together, as if they were on the same side.

"What?" I asked

I looked down, and realized I had forgotten to put on my pants. I was standing in front of everyone in my underwear.

"Oh no!" I groaned

*****

I shot right up in bed, gasping. I had that nightmare again.

"Dan!" Dad yelled, from downstairs, "Get up! You have school in an hour!"

Suddenly, the nightmare didn't seem so bad. I'd rather fight Dr. Jacobi in my underwear in front of a bus full of nuns than go to school on a Monday morning.

*****

Half an hour later…

*****

I drove my BWM 323i up to Walter's house, which I really didn't like to do. I mean, Walter was my best friend, but going to his house…his foster parents seemed very cold. Walter came out of his house, carrying his schoolbag over his shoulder.

"Walter, try and see if there is anything at school you can stay after for," came his foster-mother's shrill cry

"Shut up, Janelle!" Walter muttered

Walter got into the car, and slammed the door. I drove away, not wanting to ask what they had been yelling about.

"Morning, Daniel," Walter said

"Sore throat not clearing up?" I asked

"What sore throat?"

"Never mind…"

*****

We stopped at a McDonalds on the way, and got some breakfast from the drive thru. We then drove to school and stopped in the parking lot to eat. Walter didn't really like to talk that much, but I still gave him a ride and bought breakfast, because if I didn't then Walter would be starving and late for school.

"So, coming to the Crimebusters Club meeting?" I asked

"I always do," Walter said, "You?"

"Well, yeah," I said, "I wonder if Jane got that note I left her."

"Again with her?" Walter groaned, "Daniel, if you thought more about your school work than you did girls…"

"That reminds me, can I copy your algebra homework?"

*****

School started, and I walked lazily to homeroom. During my first class, I got in trouble for drawing on my test paper. In my second class, I got in trouble for falling asleep (the teacher should take it as constructive criticism), and during lunch, Walter got in trouble for only having a can of beans for his lunch, and refusing to let the teacher heat it up for him. During gym, I got into a whole lot of trouble for refusing to stand up, but it was worth it; I had just seen the gymnastics team walk by, and I…well, I would have gotten into a whole lot more trouble if I did stand up. By the end of the day, I was tempted to skip the Crimebusters meeting tonight and just stay home. Walter could tell what I was thinking on the drive home.

"If you skip the meeting, then your Dad will find out," Walter reminded, "Then he'll want to know why, and he'll end up talking to you about school, what you want to do with your future."

I hated talking to Dad about my future. He always tried to talk me into going into his business, into corporate banking, but it didn't appeal to me. I liked birds and airplanes, but Dad wouldn't have any of that.

"Yeah, I'd better go," I decided

*****  
I drove the car up to the gate around the suburb I lived in. I didn't really like living there, among people who wanted to separate themselves from society. I'd rather have a nice apartment in the middle of the city, but Dad always said he was doing what was best for me.

"Name?" said the voice from the intercom

"Dan Dreiberg," I said

"Any guests?"

"Nope," I lied

Walter had met the intercom-man once; he wasn't exactly welcome in the 'community'. We drove up to my house, a three story palace-of-the-suburbs, with its own pool. Walter pressed the button on my dashboard that opened up the garage door, and I drove inside.

"Two hours until the meeting," I said, "Let's get to work."

*****

Walter and I walked to the yard, and to the dumpster.

"Coast is clear," I said

Walter slid aside the dumpster, revealing a manhole cover. I lifted it up, and climbed down the ladder, with Walter following me. He pulled the dumpster back over us (Walter was incredibly strong). I flicked on the lights, revealing an old fallout shelter. We had discovered it when we were kids, and hadn't really used it until the Crimebusters Club had started; Mr. Gardner had found out that some students at school were doing a bit of vigilantism.

******

Walter had been fighting crime in his neighborhood, wearing a Rorschach mask. I found out about it when I came to pick him up from school and he had a stab wound. I insisted on helping him out, so I took a bit of money from my trust fund (blackmailed Dad's accountant a bit), and created some crime fighting equipment. I made myself a costume, a brown jumpsuit with light armor underneath, and wore welding goggles to hide my identity. The armor was light enough to move around in, but just thick enough to stop a bullet from a distance. After Walter and I had been fighting crime for a couple of months, the papers caught attention of our activities, and rounded up a few followers. Adrian Veidt, the class nerd, started following us around, calling himself Ozymandias, and wearing some kind of gold jumpsuit with a purple cloak. Walter and I didn't like him; he was too much of a show off. He posed for photographs, did trapeze stunts whenever he was being filmed, and signed autographs for kids. Still, I guess he was good to have representing us; whenever Rorschach and I went out on a crime busting spree, we did make a mess.

*****

Down in the abandoned fallout shelter, Walter was beating the crap out of a punching bag, and I was working on a new gadget. The fallout shelter acted as our base, and had a lot of modern conveniences. The people who built it in the sixties added an air purifier and lighting that was hooked up to the house's power.

"Hey, Walter, could you hand me that spanner?" I asked

Walter tossed it to me. I caught it, and tightened one of the bolts that were on the gun I was modifying.

"What do you think?" I asked

"What is it?" Walter asked

"It's a wirepoon gun," I explained, "We need a quick getaway, can't climb a wall…"

I aimed the gun away from Walter, and fired it. A grappling hook shot out, and embedded itself in one of the walls.

"Should make it easier to escape from reporters," Walter said

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Manhattanville: Watchmen, the early years

Chapter Two

*********

As soon as it got dark, the two of us suited up, and walked out into the city. Walter and I had planned out a patrol we would take through the most crime-populated areas. We started in Walter's neighborhood, throwing a pimp into some trash cans, and beating up a mugger who stole an old woman's purse. After that quick warm up, we went to an apartment complex in the rich side of town, not the side that Walter lived on. There was a back exit for us to sneak into, and a freight elevator that went up to Mr. Gardner's apartment. His place was cool; it was built like a lounge from the sixties. It was where the Crimebusters Club met. So far, it was me, Walter, Jonny Osterman, and Adrian Veidt. Jonny was sort of our resident scientist; he helped us with forensics work, in exchange for extra-curricular credits.

"Hi guys," I said

"Hi Guys!" Adrian got up, enthusiastically, "Isn't it great that we keep meeting here?"

"Yeah," I said, nervously

"Gay…" Walter muttered

I punched him in the shoulder.

"Not here," I warned

*********

Mr. Gardner walked in, and brought us cokes. Walter was reluctant to take off his mask, as always, even to drink. Jonny took his coke, and drained it.

"None for me, Nelson," Adrian put his feet up on the table, "I have to watch my figure if I want to get the lead in the school musical this year."

I could tell that Walter was giving me 'the eye' under his mask.

"Wouldn't kill you to be more open minded," I muttered

"What was that?" Adrian asked

"Uh…I was asking Walter if he knew what the musical was this year."

"It's High School Musical!" Adrian jumped up on the couch, "Seriously, don't I just scream 'Troy'?"

"Uh…I didn't see it," I said

"You didn't?" Adrian raised an eyebrow

"No, uh, but what we did see recently was District 9," I said, in an attempt to befriend him, "Hey, Adrian, did you see it?"

"I'm not into scary movies," Adrian sat back down

"OK, settle down," Mr. Gardner said, "So, before we start…"

There was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Gardner?" came a call, "I'm Laurie Juspeczyk! My mom said I could join your group!"

"Oh, yes, come in," Mr. Gardner said

Laurie walked in, wearing a trench coat and glasses. I then recognized her as the freshman who transferred to our school last week.

"Oh, yeah, she's going to strike fear into our enemies," I muttered

Laurie threw off her coat and glasses, revealing what appeared to be a yellow nighty. Her body was perfectly toned, as if she'd gone through years of training. Yeah, she could join the team.

******

"Hi guys," she said, shaking mine and Walter's hands, "I'm, but I guess you can call me…Silk Spectre."

"Hello," Walter muttered

"Hi…" I said, mesmerized

"I saw you on the news!" Laurie exclaimed, "You beat that guy up without even touching him."

"Yeah…I used my uh…" I reached around my belt, "this! This was it!"

I held out my Tonfa, which was made of clear plexi-glass.

"Oh," Laurie said, "so you don't have any powers?"

"No, but check it out," I said

I swung the Tonfa around, doing my custom martial-arts. Laurie was impressed, but then I accidentally hit her in the thigh.

"Ow!" Laurie said, clutching her leg, "Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry!" I said quickly, "I didn't mean to…!"

Adrian jumped off the couch, and came to Laurie's aid.

"Let's get you some ice," he said, "shall I sing for you? Would that help?"

*******

Walter and I were out on patrol later that night, doing a bit of charity work: handing out sandwiches to the homeless.

"It was an accident," I said, "I mean she knows I wouldn't do that on purpose."

"Daniel, you're a hero, not a magician," Walter said, "What made you want to do a demonstration?"

"Well she asked…"

"Her exact words were: I saw you on the news."

"Well she was going to ask me to do something! I mean, she didn't say it, but I could see it in her eyes!"

"Just like you do with the gymnastics team?"

"Hey…!" I growled

******

We completed our assignment, and headed back to base. Laurie was still there, with an icepack held to her leg.

"I'm sorry I hit you, Laurie," I said, for about the twenty-first time, "I bought you something."

I held up a Snickers bar.

"Oh, thanks," she said, "can I have it now?"

"Sure,"

I tossed it to her, and it hit her right in the eye. She started to cry. Walter hit me on the shoulder.

"Nice going," he said sarcastically

"I am so, so, so sorry!" I groaned

"Daniel, save it for the criminals," Adrian said, "Hold on Laurie, I'll get you some more ice."

"I'll go too…"

********

As soon as I got into the kitchen, I climbed out the window.

"Where are you going?" Adrian asked

"I'm not sticking around here," I said, "It's too awkward."

I discreetly attached my grapple hook to the window sill, and then jumped out. Just before I hit the ground, I pressed the button on my gun to activate wire tension, stopping me from splattering on the ground.

"Dan to Walter," I said, speaking into my watch, "Can you hear me?"

"Affirmative."

"I'm just going to go out on my own for a bit. Tell Mr. Gardner I wasn't feeling well."

"Gotcha. Will do."

*******  
I walked through the mean streets of New York, going on a crime busting spree. Seven purse-snatchers, three armed robberies, and one game of three card Monte. I came to a turning point in the night when I was investigating a suspected brothel. I really should have had Walter back me up; I just assumed I could do it myself. I started out by doing a bit of reconnaissance, looking through windows and doors. I could see a lot of rich men in there, a few women, giving money to a well dressed woman who led them upstairs. I went back to a subway station, and opened my secret locker. I keep some emergency supplies in it, including my disguise kit. I wore a trench coat over my costume, and wore sunglasses and a fake moustache instead of my welding goggles (My plan was to go undercover as a client so I could prove what was going on in there). I walked inside the mansion. Inside, it was horrible. It seemed as if the living room I'd seen through the window was the only normal one. The rest of the rooms were originally all white, but had been spray painted over with obscene graffiti. Leather-clad prostitutes, girls young enough to go to my school, stood around smoking, drinking, and snorting cocaine. And this was just the foyer.

********

"Hey, coat-man," one girl said

I studied her; redhead girl, carrying a whip, and wearing nerd-glasses. I then realized she was the woman from the living room, but she had changed her clothes.

"Yeah?" I said, imitating Walter's voice

"Three hundred for the night," she said, indicating one of the girls, "And she's clean."

"I'm more interested in you," I said, "what do you cost?"

"I'm not for sale."

"Not even for five-hundred?" I asked

"No."

"Seven hundred?"

"Not in your wildest dreams!"

"Two thousand."

The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"You seem awfully keen," she said

"I've always wanted to have a vice-queen."

"Hm. And I've always wanted to have an undercover vigilante,"

"What?"

"You can't get anything past the Twilight Lady," she said

Twilight Lady yanked on my coat, and revealed my brown jumpsuit and utility belt.

"OK, so you got me," I admitted, placing my welding goggles on, "But I have the evidence I need; Twilight Lady, I'm making a citizens arrest."

"Girls, tear him apart," Twilight Lady ordered

The other girls sprang into action, trying to take me down. I took out my Tonfas, and began to swish them through the air threateningly.

"Kai!" I yelled

I held up my Tonfa, and blocked a hit from one girl. Several of them grabbed me by my arms and legs, and tried to pull me apart. I swung myself against the wall, and broke open one of my belt containers, the one that contained Ball Bearings (I thought it was my gas pellet pouch). I had to improvise, so I yanked one of the girls into the BBs, causing her to trip up and slide into another girl.

"Impressive," Twilight Lady said

I stuck out my free arm, and activated the blades in my gauntlet. I swiped it through the air, freeing my other leg and arm. Quickly, I used a technique Adrian showed me, which was a quick takedown. I made several jabs at one girl's solar plexus, and while she was in shock, I kicked her into another girl. I thought I was having it easy, when one girl took out a sharp knife. Before she stabbed me, I grabbed a nearby bag of cocaine, and threw it in her face; it was just enough to send her into a trip, not enough to make her overdose.

*******

I took several deep breaths, and leaned against the wall.

"OK, Dusk Woman," I said, taking out my handcuffs

"Twilight Lady!" she screeched

She grabbed me, and smacked me with the riding crop she carried. Six times.

"Kneel before Twilight Lady!" she ordered

I shoved her down on a couch, and handcuffed her to a pipe that was on the wall.

"Oh!" she wasn't used to being pushed around, "You're so forceful!"

"Shut up…" I growled, "When the police find this place…"

"The police?" Twilight Lady laughed, "Oh please, like they'll do anything about it."

"What makes you say that?" I asked

"What's going on down there?" came a yell

I looked up at the top of the stairs, and saw Commissioner Globe standing next to two girls; it was obvious what he had been doing.

"No…" I groaned

"Commissioner, please tell this vigilante what goes on here," Twilight Lady ordered

"This is purely a legitimate club where men can go to relax," the commissioner lied through his teeth

"No, no, no, no!" I groaned

"Sorry, vigilante," grinned Twilight Lady, "Tell you what; I'll give you one of my girls, first fifteen minutes free."

I walked to the door, ignoring Twilight Lady and the taunting of the prostitute girls. I wanted to walk out without doing anything rash, like Walter would do.

******

Back at home, I was sitting in my old tree house, immersed in deep though. I had taken off my costume, and was sitting there in my boxer shorts and goggles. The sight of the police commissioner being so corrupt made me so sick, and had messed up my mind.

"Why, why why…?" I croaked, on the verge of tears, "I thought the system worked, but seeing Commissioner Globe…I'm trying to help, but why won't you give me a sign? Anything! How do I make the city safe…"

Suddenly, I heard an owl hoot, very loudly. It sort of shocked me out of the depression I was in. I heard the fluttering of wings, and to my surprise, the owl flew down right in front of me. At first, I was terrified; the owl had these eyes that sort of mesmerized me, as if it was luring me into a trap. But then I saw the owl's magnificence; its feathers were the perfect shade of brown and very smooth. In its talons it had the remnants of a dead bat. This was no ordinary animal; it was a hunter, a killer, it was the watchman of the night. Something inside me clicked; I looked up at the sky.

"Thank you," I said

I picked up my sketch pad, and began designing a new costume. One that would strike fear into the hearts of my enemies.

*******

******

To Be Continued....


	3. Chapter 3

Manhattanville

Chapter Three…

***********

***********

The following day at school…

******

Third period. Gym. Walter and I were running laps in the woods by the school, as an alternative to playing football (Walter and I hated team sports).

"So how did your solo patrol go?" Walter asked

"Not good," I replied, "I met some girl named Twilight Lady."

"Never heard of her."

"I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot about her soon. She's running a whorehouse downtown, and with the police commissioner as one of her clients, we can't arrest her."

"We can, we just need a good cop."

"In this city? Where can we find one of those?"

"There's this guy who I report some of my crimes to. He's pretty honest."

"Then let's go see him."

"Now?"

"Why not? I'm only missing a couple of classes."

"OK."

*********

The two of us snuck off campus, and drove to an apartment above a garage.

"What's this guy's name?" I asked

"Officer Hollis Mason," Walter replied, "But he's informal, you can just call him Hollis."

I walked up the stairs, and knocked on the door. A tall man answered the door still wearing his cop uniform.

"Hello," he said, "Can I…oh, hey Walter."

"Hello Hollis," Walter said, "my friend Daniel has something to tell you."

"Is this the same Daniel who…" Hollis mimed goggles

"That's me," I said

"Nice to meet you," Hollis shook my hand, very tightly, "Come on in."

********

Hollis sat us down on the couch, and offered us some of his left over Halloween candy.

"So, Danny-boy, what's the problem?" Hollis asked, "Purse snatcher? Dope dealer?"

"I found a house downtown. It's sort of…uh…"

"You can say it, Daniel," Walter said

"Whorehouse," I completed

Hollis was shocked for a moment.

"Let me guess: Twilight Lady," Hollis said, "I've been trying to catch her for…"

"Is that Under The Hood?" I interrupted, pointing to a book on Hollis's coffee table

"Yes it is," Hollis said, picking it up, "I'm surprised you know what it is."

"What is it?" Walter asked

"It's the biography of a vigilante from the eighties," I explained, "It talks about this underground society he belongs to. They called themselves 'the Minutemen'."

"You're a very smart kid, Dan," Hollis said, "Where do you learn these things?"

"I read a lot," I replied, "I've been trying to find a scan of this book on the internet, but I couldn't…"

"It was sort of an underground thing," Hollis interrupted, "The Minutemen were considered criminals; I stole it from a crime scene."

"Isn't that illegal?" Walter asked

"If Commissioner Globe knew one still existed, he'd have it destroyed," Hollis shrugged, "He didn't like the Minutemen, since they knew about the skeletons in his closet."

"I see…"

"So, Daniel, Twilight Lady. What's she up to?"

********

I told Hollis everything I knew. The location of the mansion, the clients I had seen there, and even the graffiti on the walls. Hollis stopped me halfway through so he could write some of the stuff down.

"Impressive memorization," Hollis said, "Daniel, have you considered a career in law enforcement?"

"Never really thought about it. Whenever my Dad asks me about my future, he always steers it to corporate banking or stuff like that."

"Hm. Well, you should really think about it. By the way, shouldn't you two be at school?"

*********

I drove back home after school (no one noticed we were gone) and continued working on my costume design in my room. I had about ten sketches I l thought were OK, and about fifty I hated. I wanted to really capture the essence of the owl I'd seen. I considered staining it with blood, or having sharp fangs.

"No…" I groaned, scrapping another design

"Dan!" my Dad's called, "Someone here to see you!"

"I'm busy!" I replied

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs; quickly, I picked up my sketches, and shoved them under my pillow. There was then a knock at the door.

"Come in," I said

The door opened up, and Laurie walked in.

"Hi Dan," she said

"Hey Laurie," I took my sketches out, and resumed drawing, "What brings you here?"

"You left your binocs at Mr. Gardner's house."

"My what?"

"I was speaking detective. You know: binocs, binos, see-glasses…"

"Oh, you mean my binoculars."

Laurie handed them to me.

"Thanks," I said, getting up, "How did the meeting go without me?"

"Not great. Adrian and Walter got into a fight."

"Who won?"

"Walter…well, not exactly. By the time Jonny stopped the fight, Adrian was unconscious."

"Did Walter do this…" I mimed a headlock, "or this…?"

I mimed a choke hold.

"The first one."

"Oh, good," I breathed a sigh of relief

"What's that you're working on?" Laurie asked

"I'm designing a new costume."

"What's wrong with the one you wore last night?"

"Someone showed me what I had to do to fix the system," I replied

***********

The next day, I had finally chosen the perfect design. I had kept the bulletproof suit, but had added a cowl that looked like an owl's head, complete with ears and a sharp beak. There was also a cape that could wrap completely around me, designed like an owl's wings. I would have to develop the flying capabilities later.

"Beware criminals," I said, deepening my voice, "The Owl is here."

I lashed out my hand, and smashed a block of cement.

"Now time for the test…"

*********

I hid the costume in the trunk of my BMW, and drove downtown. I changed clothes, and walked a couple of blocks to Twilight Lady's mansion. One man had the nerve to try and rob me.

"Out of my way!" I growled  
I shoved him face-first into a brick wall, and took the baseball bat that he threatened me with.

"You ever hit the pool halls?" I asked

"Uh huh…" he croaked

I held up the bat like a pool cue to his head.

"Rack 'em up!"

I hit him in the head hard enough to crush his skull (I didn't check; no time). Then I kept walking, down to the mansion. I walked up to the door, where there was a bouncer. Tough looking guy, emotionless. He had a tattoo on his arm with Marine Corps emblem.

"Move!" I ordered

I tripped him up, and kicked him in the face. He wouldn't be going anywhere.

********

I kicked down the front door, and saw several high ranking people giving money to Twilight Lady.

"Gentlemen," I growled, "you've raped just about everyone in this city. You've abused your power, and driven the innocent citizens to the brink of insanity. It ends tonight."

I lifted my arms out, and my cape shot out looking like a pair of wings.

"The Owl has spoken…" I growled

Twilight Lady snapped her fingers, and several of her henchmen and women revealed themselves. I responded by switching on my latest invention, the Screecher. Extremely loud rock music came from a set of speakers no bigger than a deck of cards in my belt. The henchmen and women were down on the ground, clutching their ears. The police commissioner tried to shoot me with his gun, but the sound was too loud for him to concentrate. The district attorney was probably thinking of ways to get me secretly assassinated. After a minute, I turned the Screecher off.

"Now, you guys had better start cleaning up your act," I warned, "I know where all of you live, and I will be checking up on this place. You probably won't be able to sell it, after all, there's all the fire damage…"

I threw a few of my grenades into the corner of the room, then one into the dining room, and one up the stairs. Twilight Lady and her guests were thrown back by the explosion, but I stood tall. All the remnants of the house, the pieces of the tiles on the walls, chips of the wooden floorboards, even the ashes of the walls came at us; the feeling of the pieces burning my skin didn't bother me, because I knew, from now on things would be different. The Owl had declared his war on sin and corruption. Things would now be different.

********

A week later…

******

Back at the bomb shelter, I was calming down from the fight I had just been in. My reputation had grown so people were terrified of shadow. The media had reported me as a terrifying mutant owl that was attacking criminals. One guy had said, in an interview from prison: "He threatened to fly me over the city and claw my eyes out" (Which is a half-truth). I sat in my chair, embracing my victory, when my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Dan, it's Adrian."

"What do you want?"

"Jonny had an accident at the nuclear power plant; he could die at any minute."

I stood up.

"I'll be right there. Where are you?"

"At the Nuclear Power Plant, do you need directions?"

I hung up on him.

*********

As soon as I got to the plant, Jonny was barely alive. Mr. Gardner, Walter, Adrian, and Laurie were standing in front of the reactor core, which had a glass window. We could see Jonny inside, on the ground in pain.

"Dan…" groaned Jonny, reaching out to me

I took a look at him; his accident was so bad, he was glowing blue.

"Cog ab-2 goes in concurrence to cog c-3…" Jonny groaned, "Wind up your t1330 pocket watch and then you can…"

"What's he talking about?" Laurie asked

"Jonny's remembering the instructions from his watch," Mr. Gardner explained, "Ever since we told him how long he has to live, he's been saying everything he can remember."

"Incredible…what happened to him?"

"We were stopping a break in," Adrian explained, "Some terrorists were going to blow the place sky-high. We had just stopped them, but the nuclear reactor had already been compromised."

"So he went in there? What was he thinking?"

"Jonny was just trying to be a hero," Adrian said, "If he'd just let me do my job, I could have stopped it on the computer."

"Then why didn't you?" I asked

"I…" Adrian began

"He had to talk to some reporters, sign autographs," Walter explained, "His hands were tied."

"I see…"

"Dan…" groaned Jonny

"Yeah, buddy?" I asked

"The formula for the mass equation theory is that the hyper dimensional temporal fixture…"

Jonny stopped talking, and I realized he had died.

************

"Jonny?" I gasped

I lashed out, and punched Adrian, knocking him into a wall. I kicked him in the stomach, and bashed his head into a TV set.

"Dan! Calm down!" Mr. Gardner ordered

"Why?" I growled, "He practically killed Jonny!"

"Please stop!" Adrian cried

I took out my Tonfa, and clobbered Adrian's head with it.

"I thought the worst you would do was make the club look fruity," I growled, "and instead, you killed my friend!"

No one stepped in to stop me; I think they all were with me. I gave Adrian the thrashing of his life, then stopped. Adrian fell to the ground, bruised, broken, defeated, but I wasn't done with him. Walter knew what I was thinking, and he didn't agree with me.

"Daniel, don't do it," warned Walter

"Why not?" I growled, "I'd be doing the world a favor."

I took out my knife from my boot, and began twirling it in my hand, building up momentum for a higher impact strike.

"Dan, don't…" Mr. Gardner said

Laurie started to cry, but all I could see was Adrian laughing and smiling in front of cameras while Jonny tried to save the city from a meltdown. I thought of my dad yelling at me, how I was wasting my life. I could not think of a single reason why he shouldn't die.

***********

***********


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

/

Note: I am really sorry I waited this long to update

/

/

/

I stood in the nuclear power plant, surrounded by my fellow Crimebusters, and a few nuclear power plant technicians. I held a knife in my hand, gripping Adrian by his stupid purple cloak.

"Dan, you don't want to cross that line," Mr. Gardner said, "I know people who have, and they were never the same."

"Listen to him, Daniel!" Walter warned

Reluctantly, I dropped the knife. If Walter told you to do something, you did it.

"Now back away from him."

I slowly moved next to Walter.

"Adrian, you're out of the club," Walter spoke calmly, but dangerously

Terrified, Adrian walked to the door. He was no longer a crime fighter, he was just some scared kid in a stupid costume. Without a team, everyone was like that.

"But guys…" Adrian croaked

He looked around for support. Mr. Gardner turned away awkwardly, Walter just glared at him, Laurie hid behind Walter, and I shook my head at him.

"Fine!" Adrian yelled, "I don't need you! People like me more than any of you! I'm cooler! Ask anyone!"

He ran out without a shred of dignity.

/

Of course, at school, Adrian spent most of his time telling people that he wasn't fired, he quit. At his lowest moment, he threatened to tell everyone that I was The Owl.

"OK," I nodded, "Go ahead."

"You don't think I will?" Adrian asked

"Do it."

"OK…"

Adrian turned back to the crowd of people he was with.

"Hey guys, Dreiberg's The Owl,"

I'd never heard so much laughter in my life.

/

After school, Walter and I headed to my car.

"Do you want to stop somewhere for a burger?" I offered

I said that to Walter pretty much every day, I just switched the words around.

"Chili," Walter replied, "From Wendy's. If it's on the way."

And he always said that. We always pretended that it was a spur of the moment decision; it was my excuse to buy Walter a decent meal. I would never ask him to reimburse me, Walter would never ask for anything that wasn't from the dollar-menu.

"We'll probably pass it," I replied, "I think I'll get a…"

I stopped mid-sentence, and looked ahead. Laurie was standing with the car-riders, yelling at someone on her cell phone.

"That's odd. Her mom usually picks her up right on time."

Yes, I know how stalker-ish that sounds.

"Do you think I should offer her a ride?" I asked

"Wouldn't hurt," Walter shrugged

/

I got out of my car, and walked up to Laurie. I tried to walk naturally, but I sort of hurried.

"Laurie!" I accidentally yelled

"Yeah?" she asked

"You, um…you look like you're…like you missed your ride," I stammered, "Can I…give you a lift?"

"Uh, sure," Laurie shrugged

/

We walked to my car; I held the door open for her.

"Thanks," Laurie smiled

She got into the car, and was surprised to see Walter in the front seat.

"Hi…" she attempted to be friendly

"Hurm," Walter muttered

/

I drove Laurie home; she lived in the Gibbons Estate, a subdivision. I drove up to the gate, and Laurie opened it with an electric key. We then made our way to Laurie's place; it was by far the nicest one on the block. It was a large, mauve two-story house with three-car garage and a large lawn. I drove up on the driveway; there was a woman tending to the plants who was quite beautiful. She stood there in her khaki shorts, T-shirt, and sunhat, her red hair tied back into two plaits. She looked up at

"Laurie!" the woman called out

She walked up to the car; Laurie averted her eyes, embarrassed.

"Hi mother…" Laurie sighed

"Laurie, I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up, but Eddie took the car."

"It's alright," Laurie got out of the car

"Who are your friends?" Laurie's mom asked

"I'm Dan, this is Walter," I introduced us, "We just gave your daughter a ride home."

"Oh, how sweet. Would you like to come in for lemonade?"

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense. Come on in."

I shrugged; I was thirsty.

"OK. Walter?"

"Fine here," he replied

I tossed him the keys.

"Might want to leave the window open."

"Will do."

/

I walked inside Laurie's house; it was very modern, laminated wood floors and an HD TV in each room.

"So Dan, how do you know Laurie?"

"I'm in the Crimebusters," I explained

"Are you the fruity one?"

"No…" I said awkwardly, "Why? Do I give off that vibe?"

"Oh, no, it's just that Laurie said she liked the Crimebuster who wasn't…"

"Mother!" Laurie exclaimed

My Owl-sense was telling me to get out of there.

"I just remembered, I told Walter's mom I'd get him home by four," I lied, "I have to go."

/

That night…

/

Walter and I were suiting up in my shelter. We planned to only go out from an hour; we had to get up early for Jonny's funeral the next morning.

"Wherever you go, I go," Walter warned, "I'm not having you blowing up another building."

"That was mild fire damage at the most," I replied

Walter slipped on his mask, and tied his trench coat shut.

"Are you sure I can't get you a bulletproof vest?" I asked

"Fine like this."

/

We took the bus downtown; halfway there, Walter snapped his fingers, and reached into his coat.

"Mr. Gardner was saying we should wear these, for Jonny," he explained, taking out two black armbands, "You in?"

"Sure,"

I took one of the armbands, and slid it on my right arm.

"You know, it wasn't Adrian's fault that Jonny died," Walter said

"He didn't exactly help."

"Daniel, Adrian couldn't have done anything. Either way, someone would have had to die. And Jonny wouldn't have let Adrian do it."

"You really think so?" I asked

"He was a scientist, was he not?"

"Yeah, I guess."

/

Walter and I did a simple walk through our territory, making our way through the busy streets.

"Remember that time Jonny tried to come with us?" I reminisced

"Yeah," Walter let out a little chuckle

"Do you remember the name he used?"

"Doctor Manhattan," Walter replied, "And he had that ridiculous blue suit."

"But he did catch that mugger," I grinned

"If only there was an award for most creative use of a hotdog stand," Walter added

/

We kept on patrolling, just letting people know we were here for them.

"Hey, Owl!" came a yell

"Oh jeez…" I groaned

"At least listen to them," Walter advised

Two guys came running up to us; they looked like typical street kids, wearing bandanas and baggy jeans.

"What can we do for you?" Walter asked

"Oh, man," one guy groaned, "Some dude just jacked my…"

I lashed out at the guy, kicking him in the stomach and forcing him into some stone steps. As he fell, a switchblade fell from his sleeve; he had been planning to attack me. The second guy pulled out a pipe that was in his jeans, and attempted to hit Walter; Walter simply grabbed the pipe and punched the guy in the nose; he ran.

"Daniel, have you ever heard of Occam's Razor?" Walter asked

"Is that a Native American weapon?"

"No, it's the theory that the simplest thing is usually the answer."

"What's your point?"

"You brutally attacked that guy when you could have scared him off with a punch."

"Where's the…" I began

I could tell Walter was giving me 'the eye' under his mask.

"Where's the fun in that?" Walter completed, "Daniel, this is not about fun. We do this because it's the right thing."

"Well maybe I enjoy doing the right thing," I retorted

"You enjoy showing off," Walter explained, "And at first that was good, you really helped me with your gadgets and your theatrics, but now you've taken it too far. They've become your weakness."

"Oh please. They make me strong."

"Really?" Walter raised an eyebrow, "Do you want to put that to the test?"

He held up his fists.

"I'm not going to fight you," I warned

"Come on. I'll give you a free punch."

"Fine."

I switched on an electro-blaster on my wrist, and prepared to strike at Walter. Then he punched me in the nose.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, "Douche-bag!"

"But I'm right," Walter reminded, "You've got too much of an image problem."

"No I don't. I'm The Owl, the terror of the…"

Walter punched me in the nose again; this time, I fell on the ground.

"You may have a point," I admitted

"Good. Now let's head home."

"But we just got here!"

"You're in no shape to fight. Come on."

Reluctantly, I followed.

/

Jonny's funeral went well the next day. It had a small turnout, Jonny's parents, his friends from the science club, the Crimebusters, and Mr. Gardner. After all the general phoniness at school, of people pretending they knew him just to get attention, it was nice to be around people who actually liked Jonny, and were affected by his demise.

"…and while he did not have a lot of time on this earth," the priest continued, "I can see by the turnout that…"

I looked over to Adrian, who was looking guiltily at the coffin. It was lead-lined, since Jonny's remains were still slightly radioactive. I managed to catch his eye, and gave him a slight nod, as if to say 'it's not your fault'. He let out a little smile.

"…and now we commit his remains to the earth," the priest concluded

/

Afterwards, we went to a small reception. I placed a few mini-sausages on a platter, and sat down next to Walter.

"I talked to Officer Mason," Walter said, "He'd like to help you."

"Walter, I don't need help."

"You got your ass handed to you by some skinny ginger guy," Walter reminded

"I let you do that! I felt sorry for you."

Walter tried to hit me again, but this time, I blocked it.

"You've got no problem," Walter said, "But The Owl is clouding your mind."

"The Owl isn't just some character I made up," I replied, "I'm dead serious about this. When that owl flew through my window in my time of distress…"

"…it inspired you to become a symbol of fear in the underworld?" Walter completed

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Because that's the origin of Batman!" Walter groaned

I looked away in embarrassment.

"Daniel, you ripped of a fictional character to serve as your alter-ego."

"Well maybe I got a little carried away with the origin, but aside from that, it's all me!"

"OK," Walter nodded, in mock-acceptance, "By the way, what exactly happened at Twilight Lady's brothel?"

"Well, after knocking out the guards…"

"Yeah."

"Then I made this awesome speech, I said 'you've raped just about everyone in this city. You've abused your power, and driven the innocent citizens to the brink of insanity. It ends tonight'. And then I blew up some walls…"

Walter was giving me 'the eye' again.

"What?" I groaned

"You stole that from Batman: Year One!" Walter reminded

"No I didn't! And I want that back some day!"

"Have you ever compared yourself to a surgeon in an operating table?"

"No!"

"Daniel…"

"Well…maybe I said 'lawyer in a courtroom', but that's completely different!"

/

Afterwards, Walter persuaded me to go round to Hollis's house. We caught him as he was just getting home.

"Hey boys," Hollis said, "What can I do for you?"

"Daniel needs help with crime fighting," Walter explained

"Well, I could tell you about the police training I took," Hollis replied

"Hollis," Walter interrupted, "That's not what I meant."

The two of them locked eyes. Then Hollis folded.

"OK," Hollis nodded, "Boys, get in the car."

"Where are we going?" I asked

"You'll see…"


	5. Chapter 5

/

/

/

Hollis drove us into town, to the warehouse district.

"Is this an evidence lock-up?" I asked

"Sort of."

Hollis led us to one of the many houses, and opened it with a special key. We walked inside; it was incredible. The entire place was like a museum dedicated to the Minutemen. It had glass cases filled with artifacts from their adventures, Moloch's solar weapon, Underboss's gorilla mask, even Captain Nazi's ray gun. But there were also other items, tables and chairs, even a small bar, and a large portrait of the group. I then realized this wasn't a museum; it was a headquarters.

"Hollis, how do you know about this place?" I asked

He gave me a minute to figure it out.

"You were one of them!" I gasped

"Yep," he nodded, proudly

"Don't tell me…Nite Owl?"

"Darn right."

I walked up to the portrait on the wall. Silhouette, Mothman, Dollar-Bill, Nite Owl, Captain Metropolis, Hooded Justice, The Comedian, and Silk Spectre. I hadn't seen a good picture of them before, only distant snapshots.

"Daniel," Walter began, "is it just me or does Silk Spectre look like…?"

I knew what he meant; the red hair and the legs gave it away. She was…

"Mrs. Juspeczyk?" I gasped

"That's silky," Hollis grinned

"That looks amazing," I breathed, "You guys…if half of the stuff I read about you is true…"

"Daniel, I'd like to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity," Hollis said, "I see great potential in you, and I think, with a bit of training, you could be the new Nite Owl."

I couldn't believe what he had said. The Nite Owl wanted me to take up his mantle. It was like being handed Excalibur itself. It was like Abin Sur had crash landed on my front porch and presented me with his ring. It was like The Doctor had stepped out of the TARDIS and tossed me a sonic screwdriver. It was like…hold on a minute, how long had it been since I'd taken a breath?

/

I opened my eyes; I had collapsed on the floor.

"Oh thank god," Hollis exclaimed, "We nearly lost you!"

"Are you alright, Daniel?" Walter asked

"I'm okay," I groaned, "I had this dream, where you told me that you wanted me to be the new Nite Owl."

Hollis and Walter exchanged glances.

"I did," Hollis corrected

A large grin broke out on my face.

"This is awesome!"

"It won't be easy," Hollis said, "I'll need you to give up your violent ways."

"Sure, sure," I nodded

"And until your training is complete, I can't let you go out on patrol."

"Got it."

"And you're getting a haircut."

"That I won't do."

"OK. I'll settle for two out of three. Meet me tomorrow, Delta Wharf at midnight."

/

I showed up at Delta Wharf per Hollis's instructions. I decided not to wear my Owl-suit, instead I went with sweatpants and brown hoodie. I took the elevator to the roof, and found the man; he was dressed normally.

"Hello, Daniel," he said

"Hi Hollis," I replied, "I'm ready to start."

"Good," Hollis tossed me a backpack, "This is a parachute. You're going to BASE jump off the building."

"What?" I gasped

"What was the year of the first sighting of Hooded Justice?" Hollis demanded

"Um…I think it was about…"

Hollis took out a gun, and pointed it right at me.

"Think quickly. Three, two…"

"It was nineteen-eighty…" I began

"Too slow."

Hollis pulled the trigger, and there was a loud bang. I realized it was a blank pistol.

"Real funny," I muttered

"Sorry," Hollis grinned, "I just wanted to do something exciting. I'm afraid my training won't be very thrilling."

"That's a relief."

"We'll start by seeing what your limits are. Drop and give me twenty."

I didn't do anything for a moment.

"Dan?"

"Sorry," I got down on the ground, "I've never heard anyone say that seriously."

/

Hollis made me do pushups, pull-ups, then I had to run up and down the stairs, and finally he made me spar with him. I was nervous about fighting him; I wasn't used to fighting fair.

"OK, Dan, your fighting is not great," Hollis admitted, "You're used to striking hard and running, which isn't how good guys fight."

"I know," I said, out of breath

"Walter tells me you use a lot of gadgets. Could you try using them instead of fighting?"

"I guess. I've got some in my car that I could show you."

"OK."

/

We took the elevator downstairs (I was too wiped out to take the stairs) and I led Hollis to my car. I opened up the trunk, and removed the metal cover. Underneath were all my 'The Owl' gadgets.

"Grapple gun, smoke bombs, screechers, and Owl-a-rangs."

"Wow," Hollis picked up one of the Owl-a-rangs, "Did you make this?"

"Not exactly. I bought some Batarangs at a sci-fi convention, and cut certain parts off."

"Dan, this is incredible," Hollis picked up some more of my stuff, "Wait, what's this?"

He picked up some plans I had drawn up.

"Holy cow…" he breathed, "Are you planning to build this?"

"No, I don't have the money," I explained

"Darn. I mean, this is incredible. This is…this is like something from a sci-fi movie. Could it work?"

"Yeah, I ran it in a simulator."

"Dang…well how much money would you need?"

I told him.

"Ah…" he put his wallet back in his pocket

/

The next morning, I was back at school; I had my Owl costume on under my clothes, just as Hollis instructed me to. It seemed pretty Silver Age when he suggested it, but it was actually giving me a genuine thrill. I had on my brown suit and anti-stab vest on beneath my slacks and dark blue shirt. My mask was waiting for me in my book bag. I felt like I was ready to take on the entire world; I kept imagining scenarios where I could change to Nite Owl; maybe terrorists would break into the school and I would take them down. Maybe terrorists would break into the school, and I'd have to save everyone. Maybe Moloch or Underboss would escape from prison, and I'd get called into action. Maybe a team of college cheerleaders moonlighting as criminals would demand all the male students…

"Daniel! Stop staring at me and get back to work!" Ms. Green ordered

Everyone laughed. I didn't.

"Don't flatter yourself," I said, out loud, "And by the way, you don't have to humiliate me."

I couldn't believe I said that. Maybe the suit was giving me more confidence than I thought.

"Excuse me?" Ms. Green asked

"You didn't have to humiliate me. You could have just said 'get back to work', but the whole 'stop staring at me' line…was that really worth adding?"

"Daniel, if you keep disrupting the class, I'll have to send you to the principal's office."

"Will that justify your actions?" I asked, "Does that make it right?"

"Daniel…"

"It's Dan. Just Dan. Three letter word. Not that hard to remember."

/

"So do I have to sign this or something?" dad muttered, barely glancing at the note from my teacher

/

"…OK, wearing your costume under your clothes isn't such a good idea," Hollis said, putting down the note

"I didn't mean to go as far as I did," I admitted

"I know. I've heard you talk about Ms. Green before. It was probably about time someone told her off."

"Yeah, but I just wish she hadn't started crying."

"Well, at least you learned your lesson. Now drop and give me twenty."

Again, I waited a moment.

"Sorry! Seriously, you're the only person who I've heard say that and mean it!"


End file.
